Ryan Dennis and Paul Moran are the first to attempt cycling Route 1 in Iceland in 2014

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Day 3: Borgarnes - Varmahlíð (Bus) 244kmVarmahlíð - Flugumýrarhvammur (Bike)Time: 0:32:19Distance: 10.19 kmAverage Speed 19 km/hOn advice from the hostel in Borgarnes, the tourist information office and anyone Icelandic we took a bus to avoid the snowy roads on the mountain pass after Bifröst. Bifröst looked an unusual place with a university holding just 200 students surrounded by lava fields. The first part of the bus journey looked like it could have been cycled. It was only when we got into the snowy area that our decision to bus looked vindicated. When getting on the bus in Borgarnes the bus driver had to get the bike rack from the luggage space and said it was the first time he'd needed to take bikes this year. Temperatures are a little better in Varmahlíð compared to Borgarnes. We cycled the short distance to a farm that Ryan has stayed at while researching for his University program. They were a very welcoming family who all spoke great English. We had lunch and dinner with them. There is a story about the farm right next to theirs which was burned to the ground years ago. The farmer survived the fire by hiding in a barrel of Skyr (Icelandic yogurt).